Residents in west London have urged Transport for London to remove a safety net from a depot in Northfields after wild birds were seen becoming trapped in it.
Locals say gulls have repeatedly become entangled in the netting, sometimes remaining stuck for days before dying slow and painful deaths, with cries heard by nearby residents.
Anthony Percival, who has lived near the depot for almost 40 years, reported one trapped seagull to TfL and wildlife groups, which monitored the situation over four days.
Staff from The Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton rescued the bird — named Gilbert by Mr Percival and his partner — but it died three days later.
Mr Percival told the BBC: "It's quite upsetting, obviously, you could see it was distressed.
“I think birds have feelings and it was probably wondering how to get out and it was trying its best to get out.”
He said he feared more birds would suffer the same fate unless the netting was removed.
A spokesperson for the sanctuary said the material did not work as a deterrent and described it as an “expensive death trap”.
A wildlife expert from the sanctuary noted five birds that had become trapped.
He explained that wild birds are highly intelligent and that when one becomes stuck, others often respond to its distress calls and gather to help.
He told the BBC he supported calls for a ban on bird-deterrent netting, arguing there were "proven, better ways to deter birds".
TfL said it was repairing the netting and would continue to monitor its effectiveness, adding that it takes animal welfare “very seriously”.
Adrenne Reed, from TfL, said the netting had been installed to help reduce safety risks including flooding and blocked drainage.
She said: "We recently installed netting at our Northfields depot to help reduce safety risks, including flooding from blocked drainage.
“Unfortunately, since it had been installed, there had been some damage to the netting and a small number of birds became trapped.
“We take animal welfare very seriously and all the birds have been released. We are urgently repairing the netting to prevent this happening again and continue to assess its effectiveness.”
